Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.

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Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.
Stax Soulsville USA.png
Genre Documentary
Directed by Jamila Wignot
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Jamila Wignot
  • Kara Elverson
CinematographyBryan Gentry
Running time50–62 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network HBO
ReleaseMay 20 (2024-05-20) –
May 21, 2024 (2024-05-21)

Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. is an American documentary series directed and produced by Jamila Wignot. It corrects the history of Stax Records. [1]

Contents

The documentary had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 10, 2024, where it won the TV Premiere Audience Award. [2] [3] [4] It premiered on May 20, 2024, on HBO. [5] The series also won a Peabody Award [6] at the 85th Annual Ceremony.

Premise

The series follows Stax Records, a record label that ushered in artists, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, The Staple Singers and Sam & Dave; The label went from being an outsider to one of the most influential producers of music, with an impact even after the label has gone. [5] [7]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byOriginal release date
1"Cause I Love You" Jamila Wignot May 20, 2024 (2024-05-20)
2"Soul Man"Jamila WignotMay 20, 2024 (2024-05-20)
3"Respect Yourself"Jamila WignotMay 21, 2024 (2024-05-21)
4"Nothing Takes the Place of You"Jamila WignotMay 21, 2024 (2024-05-21)

Production

In May 2022, it was announced Jamila Wignot would direct and produce a documentary series revolving around Stax Records for HBO Documentary Films, with Ezra Edelman set to executive produce. [8] Rob Bowman served as a consultant on the series. [9]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.00/10. [10] On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [11]

Nina Metz of Chicago Tribune gave the series three out of four stars, writing: "A story of musical genius but also racism, personal tragedies and corporate greed." [12] John Anderson of Wall Street Journal also praised the series writing: "Stax may have been of a particular place and time, but Ms. Wignot resurrects it all gloriously, and grittily, and with the personality and precision of the M.G.s rhythm section." [13]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2024
 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Documentary Jamila Wignot Won [14]
Gotham TV Awards Breakthrough Nonfiction Series Jamila Wignot, Nancy Abraham, David Blackman, Ron Broitman, Charlie Cohen, Sophia Dilley, Ezra Edelman, Nicholas Ferrall, Jody Gerson, Lisa Heller, Tina Nguyen, Scott Pascucci, Nigel Sinclair, Michele Smith, and Caroline Waterlow Nominated [15]
IDA Documentary Awards Best Limited SeriesJamila Wignot, Kara Elverson, Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Nigel Sinclair, Nicholas Ferrall, Scott Pascucci, Sophia Dilley, Michele Smith, Jody Gerson, David Blackman, Charlie Cohen, Ron Broitman, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Tina NguyenNominated [16]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Jamila Wignot, Kara Elverson, Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Nigel Sinclair, Nicholas Ferrall, Michele Smith, Sophia Dilley, David Blackman, and Tina NguyenNominated [17]
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program Tony Volante and Andre Artis (for "Chapter Two: Soul Man")Nominated
South by Southwest Film & TV Festival (SXSW) TV Premiere Audience AwardJamila Wignot and Kara ElversonWon [18]
2025
 Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Non-Theatrical Motion Pictures or Limited Series Tony Volante and Andre Artis (for "Soul Man")Nominated [19]
Peabody Awards Documentary HBO Documentary Films presents in association with Concord Originals, PolyGram Entertainment, Warner Music Entertainment; A Laylow Pictures production; A White Horse Pictures productionWon [20] [21]

References

  1. ↑ Hamilton, Jack (May 20, 2024). "A Great New Documentary Corrects the Record About One of Music's Most Important Chapters". Slate. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Dev Patel's Monkey Man Headlines 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival and More Exciting Lineup Additions". South by Southwest . Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Stax: Soulsville U.S.A." South by Southwest . Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  4. ↑ Grobar, Matt (March 18, 2024). "'Bob Trevino Likes It,' Dev Patel's 'Monkey Man,' A24's 'Sing Sing' & Dramedy 'My Dead Friend Zoe' Among SXSW Audience Award Winners". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "What's New On Max This May". Warner Bros. Discovery . April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  6. ↑ "STAX: Soulsville U.S.A." The Peabody Awards. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  7. ↑ Farber, Jim (May 20, 2024). "'It became a beacon of hope': the incredible story of Stax Records". The Guardian. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ White, Peter (May 3, 2022). "Stax Records Docuseries Set At HBO From Jamila Wignot & Ezra Edelman". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  9. ↑ "HBO Documentary Films in production on Stax, a multi-part documentary series revealing the extraordinary story of Stax Records". Stax Records . Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Stax: Soulsville USA: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Stax: Soulsville USA: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  12. ↑ Metz, Nina (May 16, 2024). "Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.' review: The rise and fall of the record label that gave us Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  13. ↑ Anderson, John (May 16, 2024). "'STAX: Soulsville U.S.A.' Review: Story of the Memphis Sound". Wall Street Journal . Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  14. ↑ Complex, Valerie (June 14, 2024). "Black Reel TV Awards Unveils 2024 Nominees: Nat Geo's 'Genius: MLK/X' Tops The Crop With 14". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  15. ↑ Pond, Steve (June 4, 2024). "Baby Reindeer, Colin from Accounts, Mr. and Mrs. Smith Win Gotham TV Awards". TheWrap . Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  16. ↑ "IDA Documentary Awards 2024 Winners and Nominees | International Documentary Association". www.documentary.org. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  17. ↑ "STAX: Soulsville U.S.A." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 17, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  18. ↑ Cruz, Olivia (March 26, 2024). "2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival Audience Award Winners Announced". South by Southwest . Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Cinema Audio Society Reveals Nominations for 61st Annual CAS Awards, Honoring Outstanding Sound Mixing in 2024". Cinema Audio Society. January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  20. ↑ Victorian, Brande (May 1, 2025). "Peabody Awards: 'Baby Reindeer,' 'Ripley,' Shogun' Among Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  21. ↑ "85th Annual Peabody Awards Announce Winners". Peabody Awards. May 1, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
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